You have up to 2000 characters for a description and 80 for a title. Most good descriptions use a fraction of the first and all of the second.
The four parts, in this order
1. What it is. The specific thing: make, model, size, material, year if it matters. Not "beautiful saree" — "Kanjivaram silk saree, 6.3m with blouse piece, pure zari border".
2. What is good about it. The reason to want this one rather than any other. The weave, the maker, the condition, the rarity, the fact that it has never been worn.
3. What is wrong with it. Every flaw you can see, located and measured. "A 2cm scuff on the lower back corner." Not "minor wear".
4. What is included. Box, papers, dust bag, charger, spares — and what is not, if a buyer might assume it is.
Four short paragraphs. Two minutes to write.
Why the third part is the one that matters
Naming a flaw does two things at once.
It stops the return: a located, measured flaw cannot come back as "not as described", while a vague one can — and an undisclosed flaw comes back for 7 days whatever your returns policy says.
And it sells the next item. A buyer who has seen you volunteer a fault believes everything else you write. That is the cheapest trust available to a small store, and it compounds across your whole shop. How to describe condition honestly
Measure, do not adjectivise
"Small mark" is not a description, because small is your word and the buyer has their own. A number is not arguable:
- "3mm chip on the rim, inside, below the handle"
- "Fading along the left shoulder, about 5cm, visible in daylight"
- "Two buttons replaced; the originals are not included"
Say what you cannot know
For anything inherited or bought at a clearance: "I have not tested the motor." "Bought from an estate sale; I cannot confirm the year."
That sentence protects you completely and costs you nothing with a serious buyer. Inventing certainty is what loses a dispute.
The title is 80 characters and it does most of the work
It is what people see in search and in a list. Put the specific thing in it — brand, type, size, material — and leave out the adjectives. "Stunning!!" takes eight of your eighty and tells nobody anything. How to write a listing title
What not to put in
Contact details or payment instructions. Taking a deal off Metzee removes every protection either of you has, and it is the fastest route to a removed listing. Why off-platform deals are risky
Another brand's name, to catch searches. "Nike style" on a non-Nike item is the sort of thing that gets a listing taken down. My listing was rejected
A wall of capitals. It reads as shouting and makes the specifics harder to find.
The category vocabulary
What counts as a flaw worth naming differs completely between a saree, a graded card and a power tool — and using your category's own words signals that you know the field, which is most of why a buyer picks one of two similar listings. There is a page per category for exactly that. Condition words
More: how to write a condition description, how many photos should a listing have, the condition discount.